


Sometimes I Get Carried Away In The Moment

by DivinityInMotion



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bands, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Music, Artistic License - Music Industry, Band Fic, Bisexuality, Death Eaters are a rock band, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Fame, Flirting Disguised As Hatred, Fluff and Smut, Good Severus Snape, Internet, M/M, Marauders, Marauders are also a rock band, Musicians, Mutual Pining, Sensationalism, Touring, no magic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:15:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26270074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DivinityInMotion/pseuds/DivinityInMotion
Summary: Severus Snape was perfectly content being the reclusive guitarist in the world-famous band 'Death Eaters'. He and his fellow bandmates - Regulus, Bellatrix, and Tonks - just released their second studio album and nothing could dampen their spirits, not even a fight with The Marauders, a rival band.The two groups had been nothing but bitter to each other in the past, so when their manager, Lily Evans, proposes that they go on tour together, Severus has to force himself to make amends with the guitarist for The Marauders, Sirius Black.
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Lily Evans Potter & Severus Snape, Regulus Black & Severus Snape, Severus Snape & Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black & Severus Snape, Sirius Black/Severus Snape
Comments: 39
Kudos: 72





	1. I'll Break Your Pretty Face

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I'm excited to be working on this new fic! From what I've planned, it's on the shorter side at the moment, but that could change yet. I've spent too much time on the music side of twitter and I wanted an excuse to turn Sirus and Severus into musicians. I always love seeing sensationalism in fics, it always leads to misunderstandings, and I thought this ship needed a few more famous AUs. I hope you enjoy!

"Thank you London!"

Severus pushed the hair from his eyes and looked out at the crowd. After their two-hour-long performance, the guitar strap dug into his neck and left a red mark. His fingers ached a little, but it was part of the rush. He looked over to Regulus Black, who was still shouting his gratitude into his mic. Even from here, Severus could spot the telltale flush in his cheeks and dampness in his curly chestnut hair.

Severus turned the volume knob down on his guitar and stashed the pick in the strings near the top of the neck. He threw a hand out to the crowd and waved. He could spot various signs and banners throughout the crowd that bore the words "Death Eaters", accompanied by the band's logo - a skull with a snake slithering out of the mouth. It was rather macabre for their alt-rock band, but Bellatrix insisted on the design. After the initial confusion of people mistaking them for a black metal band, the logo grew quite popular with the fans.

The stage lights dimmed and the foursome made their way off the stage in the dark. Once the amps were killed, Severus unplugged his Fender Stratocaster and placed it in the hard case he kept side stage. Bellatrix pulled her drumsticks out from her back pocket and placed them on a nearby table. Regulus bounced on the balls of his feet, still rampant with excitement.

Nymphadora Tonks sidled up next to Severus, carting her base by the neck. She stowed it in her own case and locked it shut. Severus watched as she ran a hand through her pink hair, ruffling it up slightly. 

"I know Senior Citizen Severus has a bedtime, but the rest of us are still going out tonight, right?" Tonks teased.

"I'm only four years older than you, Nymphadora. You'll be as senior as me someday," Severus retorted.

"Sorry, didn't catch that, you didn't say my name right," Tonks said. Regulus laughed as the two bickered. He pulled the earpiece out from his ear and handed it to a techie.

"It could do you some good to come to an after-party with us for once, Sev. Lily said she'll be there, she wanted to celebrate with us," Regulus said. "She told me she could have cured cancer twice in the time it took us to write our second album."

Severus pondered the request. It was always nice to see Lily; they had been close friends since they were seven years old. Severus dragged her into the music industry with him, and now she's a successful band manager. She manages their own band, The Death Eaters, as well as some other indie rock groups in London.

"Plus," Bellatrix spoke up, "musicians from other bands show up, and if you're lucky enough, they bring along a flock of groupies. You should see the people that show up - Weird Sisters, Basilisk, The Marauders-"

"The Marauders?" Severus spat. Just when he was starting to be convinced. "Forget it, go without me."

"Oh, come on. There are a couple of prats in the band - no offense, Regulus - but they know how to party," Bellatrix moaned. 

"'They know how to party'? Are you fifteen, Bella?" Severus grimaced. Bellatrix delivered a sharp hit to his upper arm. Severus absentmindedly rubbed the spot. "Where do you guys even go? These gatherings are in Regulus' penthouse, right?"

"Yeah, it's close enough to your place that you can ditch if you're really against it," Tonks said. Severus took a moment to decide, the crowd was still cheering and his ears were still ringing.

"Fuck it, but if anyone from that band pisses me off tonight, I'm breaking your TV," Severus threatened.

Half an hour later, the foursome were escorted from the venue. Some 10,000 people flocked the streets outside, fans crowded around the exit to catch a glimpse of the band leaving in their black car. The rest of the production team stayed back to pack away all the equipment and Bellatrix's drum kit. 

Over the past four years, The Death Eaters had skyrocketed to global success. When they first started, they released some EPs and singles that quickly went viral. One of their singles was featured in a Netflix movie - Severus didn't like the movie too much, but it helped put their band on the map. They released their first album two years ago after several hard months in the studio. They followed it by touring the US and Western Europe. Being London-based, they performed every so often around the UK, such as tonight - their first performance after releasing their second album. 

Despite all the success, Severus never thought he would never get used to certain aspects of fame: The bodyguards, escorting the band to and from their performances; The paparazzi, it wasn't constant but Severus was shocked that it happened at all; Fans greeting him in public. Severus was secretly euphoric whenever fans asked him to sign their belongings. He'd signed two Stratocasters, six forearms - those fans had later tattooed his signature in that location - and, embarrassingly enough, a woman's chest when she asked politely enough. Regulus didn't let him forget that last one.

Sometime in the last half hour, Regulus called people to meet them in his penthouse. When they arrived, seventy or so people were crammed into the space, spilling out onto the glass-bottomed balcony. Songs from their first album blasted over the speakers, Regulus' bar was being raided, and the lights were dimmed. Severus usually tried to avoid this type of scene for a reason, but he couldn't be the lead guitarist for The Death Eaters and not give in to his inner hedonism from time to time.

"Regulus Black! You fucking legend!" Myron Wagtail from Weird Sisters yelled as they entered the penthouse. He hurdled a low-lying chair and tackled Regulus into a hug. "I was at your concert tonight, Lily was supposed to tell you, but I don't know if the word got through. Fucking killed it!"

Severus looked to his other band members, but Bellatrix had already disappeared into the throng of people. Tonks shrugged at Severus when he gave her a questioning look.

"And Severus Snape! Killer on the guitar as always, loved the solo on 'Look At Me'. Definitely my favourite song of the night," Myron praised. Severus made his way to the bar once the attention was off him, being stopped only once or twice by people congratulating him on the show. He ordered a tumbler of firewhiskey and leaned against the bar. Severus couldn't help but curse Regulus for being the type of guy to hire a bartender for a private party. 

He looked out across the room as he took a swig of his drink. Severus spotted Lily, across the room talking to a radio jockey. He debated on whether or not he should get her attention, but he decided to leave her be for now. 

A moment later, Tonks took the stool next to him, looking worn out. She ordered a shot and an orange chaser, quickly swallowing both with a grimace.

"That Wagtail sure knows how to kiss ass," Tonks laughed. Severus snorted, he could agree to that. Through all their differences, he's glad that Tonks stuck by his side at these things. She knew exactly how to press his buttons, but she could sense how uneasy he felt in a room full of drunk and high people. 

"It's rather ironic," she would say, "that you can perform to tens of thousands of people, but you can't do small talk for more than five minutes to save your life."

Tonks wrapped a hand around Severus' elbow and pulled him away from the bar, muttering something about being in people's way. He lost sight of Lily, but he pushed her to the back of his mind when he heard a glass break. He swivelled around to locate the source of the sound, and his eyes fell on Sirius Black - guitarist for The Marauders.

Regulus ran to the sight of the broken glass and frowned when he saw Sirius. He wore an open leather jacket, apparently seeing no need to wear a shirt underneath, and black jeans. Severus cautiously kept his eyes lifted above his collarbone, instead he focused on the way his brown hair hung in loose curls. Effortlessly beautiful, anyone could admit that. It's a shame that his foul disposition didn't match his appearance.

"What? You can't kick me out, I'm your brother," Sirius mocked. Regulus huffed, resigning himself to finding a dustpan to sweep the shards of glass. Sirius looked up from the shattered remains on the ground and locked eyes with Severus.

"Snivellus Snape, did I say that right?" He asked as he stepped over the glass. He slowly trailed his eyes down Severus' body with a cruel smirk on his face, scrutinising every part of him. 

"You insipid bastard, Black. Shouldn't you be off entertaining some girl instead of cluttering up my eyesight?" Severus shot back.

The rest of the Marauders appeared behind Sirius: James Potter, the lead singer; Remus Lupin, the drummer; and Peter Pettigrew, the bassist. The only one Severus could confidently say he liked and got along with was Remus. James was just as arrogant as Sirius - although he was at least less aggressive whenever they met - and Peter was a grovelling man with a will weaker than his musicianship. 

Tonks and Bellatrix seemed to agree with him on that much, but Regulus tried to keep the bands on civil terms. The Marauders always clashed with them wherever they went, Regulus and Sirius' brotherhood didn't quell their respective anger.

"You're lucky that I'm wasting my breath on you, Snape. Maybe if you played the guitar half as well as me, The Death Eaters could be more than one-hit wonders," Sirius said, malice lacing every word.

"One-hit wonders?!" Tonks exclaimed. She bared her teeth and Severus extended an arm across Tonks to stop her from launching herself at Sirius.

At this moment, Bellatrix emerged from the crowd and flanked Severus' side.

"Are you still here, Sirius? Surprised you and Potter haven't disappeared yet to suck each other off," she said scathingly. This caught Potter's attention, who up until now had stayed silent.

"Keep your fantasies to yourself, Bella," James said nastily. His cheeks burned red, most could pass it off as being flushed with drunk, but Severus knew better. Even though James and Lily had been dating for the past year, Severus could spot a closeted bisexual man a mile away. He had plenty of first-hand experience with them, after all. Himself included. A mere suggestion of a sexual encounter with his best friend was enough to set James off.

The only enigma Severus couldn't pin down was Sirius. There were so many scandals involving the elusive guitarist in every tabloid that it was hard to keep track of what was true and false. What did he care? To Severus, he was just another industry asshole.

Even Regulus' reappearance wasn't enough to break the tension between the two bands. Only when Lily stepped between them did the energy disperse.

"If you were better people, you'd realise that you're more similar than you think and get along. Merlin knows it'd make my life easier," she scolded them. Lily gave James a peck on the cheek and shot Sirius a warning glare. She turned around to face Severus and grasped his wrist, pulling him away from the bands. 

She led him into the cool air outside. For the first time in ten minutes, Severus felt like he could breathe. Lily pulled him over to the edge of the balcony and she let go of his wrist to lean against the railing. 

"How are you? The show looked great from where I stood," Lily said, smiling up at him. 

"It was gratifying," Severus said. He was concerned that switching from amateur to professional gigs would ruin the enjoyment of performing, but if anything it made his love for music stronger.

"It looked gratifying, as you put it. Good to see that you and Sirius are still at each other's throats for no reason," Lily sighed.

"It's not for no reason. I don't know how you can manage a band like that. If we start causing chaos in The Death Eaters, would you consider dropping them to focus on us?" Severus asked, showing her a hopeful smile. 

Lily pointedly ignored his jibes, "Have you ever even seen them perform? They're quite good, Sev."

"I've heard enough of their songs on the radio and online to last a lifetime. I don't think that watching Potter prance around a stage for two hours will sway my opinion," Severus retorted.

"I'm serious. They're performing for two nights only in the O2 in two weeks' time. I'll get you a backstage ticket with me," Lily offered. The O2? The Death Eaters had performed there once and Severus thought he would buckle under the pressure. Luckily, the performance had received positive reviews and praise.

"And if I decline?"

"Severus, I'm desperate. It looks bad to the label when you have two bands who can't stand the sight of each other under the same manager," Lily pleaded. 

Severus pursed his lips. Looking over his shoulder, he spotted The Marauders through the glass doors. Remus and Tonks seemed to be caught up in a conversation, while Bellatrix had challenged Peter to an arm-wrestling match with the clear intention of humiliating him afterward. 

He turned to look back at Lily. "Fine, I'll do it, _for you_."

This better be some show.


	2. A Little Bit Of Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lily takes Severus to see The Marauders live for the first time. Severus and Sirius butt heads again.

The VIP passes Lily got for her and Severus gave them the perfect view, although Severus strongly doubted that there would be much to see. The crowd was electric and pulsing with barely-contained excitement, and despite himself, Severus was at least curious to see what The Marauders would be like when they performed live. In the past two weeks, Severus had been half tempted to look up one live performance of the band, but ultimately he decided that it wasn't worth his time.

"Sev, you should know that The Marauder's host their own afterparties after their shows, and Remus wanted me to invite you along," Lily shouted into his ear over the shouting from the crowd. 

His stomach tightened uncomfortably. "And you waited until now to tell me this?" Severus shouted back.

"I thought the element of surprise would have made you more inclined to accept. There's less time for you to talk yourself out of it. Plus, Regulus and Tonks will all be there too," Lily replied. It was curious that Bellatrix wasn't invited along, no doubt due to her antagonistic relationship with Potter and Black. Knowing her, she'll find a way to gatecrash and rile up the rest of the Death Eaters. 

"If you find Potter or Black with a missing tooth at the end of the night, you'll have no one to blame but yourself," Severus said. Lily only gave him a knowing smile in response. The house lights dimmed and The Marauders ran out onto the stage in the cover of darkness. 

A loud guitar riff silenced the cheering audience. Severus watched as the stage lights shone, illuminating the four band members. Severus and Lily were on the band's right, he glanced at an enraptured Lily as they dove into one of their biggest hits. He thought it sounded familiar, the blasted song had been played everywhere over the summer of the previous year. It was a massive success, he couldn't exit his apartment without seeing James Potter's arrogant face or Remus Lupin wielding a drumstick on a billboard.

Severus was not so uptight to ignore the band's obvious predisposition for music. As a musician, he could appreciate how difficult a craft it was to master and how one needed a strong spine and stomach to promulgate their music. He wasn't going to tell The Marauders this, let alone verbalise it at all, but he could internally admit it. So it didn't lead him to have a mental conniption when he found himself tapping his foot along to the beat of every song.

No, what did that was the fact that Severus was starting to appreciate their stagecraft and showmanship. Not to any extreme where he would say he _liked_ seeing the four dolts prance their way through a cover of Queen's "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy", but enough for Severus to passively watch without feeling the urge to comment on every flaw in the show to Lily.

"Was the Queen song your idea or theirs?" Severus asked Lily after the song ended. 

"It was Sirius' idea, they got the band's blessing to record a cover for their first album. You should've seen Sirius' face when Brian May himself corrected a minute mistake in the song," Lily laughed fondly. Severus ignored the pang of jealousy that pierced his stomach. One of his biggest inspirations had the displeasure of acquainting The Marauders, and here Lily was talking about it as though Queen were a local pub band.

Over the course of the next three songs, Severus couldn't hide from the objective truth - James' movements across the stage were hypnotic, magnetic. He was an excellent frontman by industry standard. And after Lily's reveal of the band's prior engagement with Queen, Severus noticed some similarities between James Potter's and Adam Lambert's stagecraft. It boiled his insides. Sirius was a charismatic guitarist and technically brilliant - adding embellishments to each song once he looped the basic chord progressions, soloing over his and Peter's cadences. Remus had an aloof aura when he was drumming that was charming in its own right. And Peter...well he was hardly Flea, but he got by well.

They looked great as a band and sounded even better. Severus fought back a visible scowl as James spoke to the crowd before their next song. Severus couldn't make out what he said, but his tone was low and flirtatious.

The lighting shifted to a dangerous mixture of red and purple and the band sung out in angelic harmony. From the crowd's reaction, this had to be one of their bigger songs that Severus hadn't had the utmost pleasure of hearing yet. The girls sitting around the pair shrieked and Severus feared the ringing would never leave his ears. A deaf guitarist, oh, the oxymoron is damn nearly poetic-

His hearing returned in time for the song to turn into an upbeat groove. For the umpteenth time that night, Severus found himself tapping his foot along to the rhythm. After several bars of the repeating, hypnotic rhythm, James leaned forward into the mic and sang.

_"Another day in the back of the bar, another day in the back of the bar again."_

While the music was ensnaring enough, Severus had failed to see what was getting the crowd so riled up about this song. It was their least dreadful original so far, but the fainting teens Severus could spot at the bottom of the stage were overreacting. 

The crowd chanted along to the chorus, _"I lose my mind, we don't see it the same way."_ Severus watched Sirius shrug his electric guitar over his head and pass it to a stagehand on the side. A pre-recorded guitar track accompanied Peter's bass and Remus' drums as a now guitar-less Sirius Black made his way downstage towards James. 

Sirius shoved James, inducing a fake sparing match as the latter kept singing above the screaming crowd. Sirius reeled back and grabbed a prop acoustic guitar. He hoisted it over his head and brought it down on the stage, smashing and splintering it into pieces. The guitar must have been made from pine wood or something equally soft for Sirius to break it so easily. Severus grew more confused as he watched Sirius act out this rage-induced sequence, but next to him Lily seemed more engaged than ever. 

_"You better stay out of my way tonight, 'cause you dress real pretty and I'm ready to fight."_

Sirius pulled at the hem of his shirt and ripped the clothing up over his head, pulling it clean off his body. He spun his shirt around in the air before throwing it out to the crowd, limbs flew as several girls tried to sink their fingers into the fabric. Severus didn't care, he eyed the way the red light accentuated the hard lines of Sirius' body. _Oh_. This was why this song was so popular. 

_"I lose my mind-"_

Sirius had his own mic in his right hand, he'd pulled it off the stand to add some harmonies in the chorus. He walked down to the front of the stage and sat in front of the first row, dangling his legs over the side. For the first time the whole night, the attention was off the frontman for the whole song. Intermittent were solos from the different band members throughout each song, but this was different. James had faded into the background and all eyes were on Sirius' half-clothed form.

The song ended and the show continued, and with each passing song, Severus felt his blood pressure rise. Sirius wanted to goad him for being an "inferior guitarist", but he had to rely on taking his clothes off to keep the audience's attention on him. He didn't replace his shirt for the rest of the concert, a fact made painfully obvious by the way he slung his guitar low on his hips, exposing his chest.

Any praise he had for the band in the past forty-five minutes left his mind, they were hacks who relied on sexuality to sell their music. Severus cursed Lily for bringing him here, and now she was going to drag him along to some moronic afterparty.

The show ended in a blaze of flashing lights and a final drum solo from Remus, and the band disappeared from the stage. 

"They sold out the O2 for _that_? The _O2_?" Severus spat. 

"Shut up, Severus."

* * *

Needless to say, Severus was less than thrilled to be in James Potter's sizeable manor. He could spot the members of Weird Sisters and Basilisk at the end of the main hallway, branching into several different rooms. Lily promised to not leave his side, he didn't fancy being stuck talking to the off-kilter members of those specific bands. Regulus was in the main living room, jokingly sparring with Tonks. Several partygoers had their phones out, recording the faux fight and whooping when Tonks caught the singer in a headlock. 

Sure enough, Bellatrix was among the crowd, arm slung around the waist of a pretty blonde girl. How she managed to sneak past James was a mystery, and Severus internally applauded her for being the only other member of the Death Eaters to abhor the Marauders. Regulus had to tolerate them because of his brother, and Tonks was genuinely friends with Remus.

"Sirius! For the love of God, keep your kit on!" Regulus shouted across the room as he wrestled his way out of Tonk's headlock. Severus followed Regulus' gaze until he landed on Sirius, fully dressed. 

"If you came to see the show, you wouldn't be saying that!" A blonde girl shouted from just behind Sirius. 

"Gross, that's my fucking brother," Regulus groaned.

As the circle around Tonks and Regulus dispersed, Regulus started bickering with the blonde with Sirius caught in the middle of the two. Tonks, however, looked away from the argument and caught sight of Severus.

"Senior Citizen Severus!" Tonks shouted. Severus felt a few heads turned to look at him and Lily, but he focused his attention on Tonks. She weaved through the crowd, swooping by a table to pick up two cans of cheap alcohol. When she reached Severus and Lily, she shoved a can into each of their grips. "Wotcher, Lily." She added to their manager.

Tonks' hair was a deep green today, a startling change from the bubblegum pink it was two weeks ago. "Nymphadora, if you keep dyeing your hair, it's going to fall out," Severus warned.

"How are you, Lily? Still getting on well with James?" Tonks asked, ignoring Severus and his use of her first name. 

"Well enough, as this one allows it." Lily bumped Severus with her elbow. 

"Come on, Snape. Once you get past their pigheadedness they aren't so bad," Tonks said. "The banter can be fun."

"I'd rather not take my chances," Severus replied.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Have you seen James? I didn't catch him after tonight's show."

"Last time I saw him, he was near the kitchen. He was trying to keep Peter away from Effie. You know, the one from AEG? Said something about not wanting Peter to screw up any touring opportunities," Tonks said. 

Lily's eyes lit up in recognition. She looked as though she'd remembered something she had forgotten to do. She rested a hand on Severus' upper arm. "Sev, I'm so sorry, but there's someone here I need to speak to. It's a work thing." Severus nodded at her and she disappeared through one of the doors along the hallway.

"Talking to Effie while she's off the clock won't do her any favours," Tonks laughed, head turned in the direction Lily left. "She didn't come to a Marauders afterparty to get stuck in a business meeting. Lily better have a good proposal up her sleeve."

Tonks led them out of the doorway and into the living room, where she grabbed a drink for herself. She cracked the can open and drunk deeply.

"So I heard you were at their show tonight?" Tonks asked after a moment. "How was it?"

"Like watching a slow car crash," Severus lied. It was alright until Sirius' mock striptease halfway through, and even then the song was decent. 

Tonks snorted, "Ever the pessimist. Remus told me that the show went really well."

"Remus is the only member I half respect, you can tell him he's a good drummer."

"Why don't you tell him yourself?" A low voice answered from just behind him. Severus swivelled around. "I'm glad to hear you half respect me, Severus."

"Lupin," Tonks smiled at the drummer, "already out of your band gear and into the turtleneck?"

Tonks was right — Remus had changed from his muscle tank top that he donned onstage into a more modest, black turtleneck sweater. Nothing screamed "world-renowned drummer" like a high collar and a sheepish smile. 

"I don't care that I sweat my own weight when I play, my sides get cold when I wear those deep side cuts on stage," Remus defended himself.

"A little vivid, but I understand. I don't know how Sirius does it," Tonks grimaced.

Like the mere mentioning of his name summoned him, Sirius sidled up to Remus and threw an arm around his shoulder.

"Half of the better half of the Death Eaters," Sirius grinned at Tonks. He turned his attention to Severus and smirked, "and Sniv."

"Only Lily has the privilege of calling me Sniv, Black. Come up with something more creative," Severus shot back. Remus took a step back from Sirius. Tonks followed suit, standing next to Remus and looking back and forth between the two guitarists. 

"Of all the cool rockstar names you could have picked, you went for Severus Snape," Sirius scoffed and looked down his nose at Severus like it was the first time he'd heard his name. He didn't realise that Sirius was a few inches taller than him until this moment.

"It's my birth name."

" _Wow_. I'm sorry your parents never loved you."

"Fucking bastard, Black-" Severus glowered, fists clenched at his sides.

"Okay, that's _enough_ ," Regulus scowled, appearing through the doorway. He pulled Severus back a step by his shoulder. "You know how fucking annoying it is to have my best friend and my brother constantly at each other's throats?"

"Tolerating his presence isn't such a chore when I get to rib him. It's the superiority complex that gets on my nerves," Sirius said.

" _I'm_ the one with a superiority complex?"

"And I've seen how he's fought with James about Lily since they starting dating. You can't blame me for taking James' side, Reggie."

"That doesn't mean insulting him every chance you get. By extension you're insulting me," Regulus said. "James isn't even here right now, you can drop the charade."

"Hey, don't pretend he doesn't give as good as he gets!"

Severus bit the inside of his cheek softly, a waning habit he was working on. He couldn't say anything about that, Sirius was right. But it was never undeserved; for all their fighting, Severus never sought out Sirius, Sirius always came to him. He would be perfectly content if he never had to speak to the man again.

But Sirius was always there, like a stubborn fucking rash.

Just as Severus opened his mouth to reply, a grating voice cut him off. He watched the amusement and spite disappear from Sirius' face and he stared coldly at the newcomer.

"Sirius Black and Severus Snape under the same roof!" Severus cringed when he recognised the voice. "Is this a crossover?" Myron Wagtail of Weird Sisters flung an arm around each of their necks and squeezed them into an awkward hug. He stepped back to look between the pair. Severus glared at Tonks as she took the opportunity to escape unnoticed with Regulus and Remus.

"There's so much talk about The Marauders and The Death Eaters online, people are talking about the possibility of future collaborations and the like," Wagtail mused with an excited grin. For all of Wagtail's worshipping, Severus had never seen him at a single Death Eaters concert. He didn't buy Wagtail's cheap compliments or how he claims that he's been to their past six shows. He wondered how much of this was just him trying to keep his own band relevant. "I bet a photo of you two together would break the internet."

 _Break the internet?_ There was no chance this man was under thirty, let alone young enough to be using inane slang. Wagtail pulled out his phone and stepped back. 

"Wait, right now?" Sirius asked. It was the first time Severus had seen him truly dumbfounded.

"Of course, I'll post it on my Instagram." Severus didn't miss Wagtail's preening tone as he held up his phone. Of course he wanted his name attached to this. Sirius wrapped an arm around Severus and gave his shoulder a rough, warning squeeze. _Are you fucking-_

"Severus, you gotta get a bit closer or I can't fit you in the shot. Put your arm around his waist or something," Wagtail said.

"These aren't wedding photos, just take a step back," Severus scowled. Wagtail ignored him and simply eyed the space between Sirius and Severus before gesturing for them to move closer. Severus put a hand around Sirius' waist and roughly pinched his side under his cropped jean jacket as his own warning. This was going to look so terribly awkward.

Wagtail took a few photos with and without flash before telling them to look "candid". Severus didn't know what that meant, but clearly Sirius did. He downed the rest of his drink, threw the can onto a nearby table, and wrapped an arm firmly around Severus's upper back. Suddenly, Sirius swept Severus' feet out from underneath him but caught him underneath his knees before he could hit the ground. A bridal style carry. Black was _dead_.

"I guess they'll look like wedding photos now. You look so fucking stupid," Sirius whispered as Wagtail took some more photos. Severus thrashed in his arms to no avail. If anything, Sirius' grip only tightened.

"You cretin, you're going to look just as daft as me."

Finally, Sirius let him down. Once he could find a spare moment, Severus had to reevaluate how he looked standing next to Sirius. He already knew the man was on the taller side, but he didn't look that much stronger than Severus. Clearly that was incorrect if he could pick him up as though he weighed nothing.

"There go you, they'll be talking about that one for weeks," Sirius said to Wagtail. Severus smirked, at least Sirius knew it was a gimmick too.

"Before I go," Wagtail piped up. He turned around and raised his phone in the air. He snapped one last photo, this time of the three of them before he disappeared for the rest of the night.

Sirius and Severus shared a look. If anything, at least they had a shared distaste of Myron Wagtail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blink and you'll miss Bojack Horseman reference. I like to call the last part of the chapter "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". The song that inspired the concert sequence (and also the chapter title) is [A Little Bit Of Trouble by Tempesst](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOrU0DVlB6c&ab_channel=TempesstVEVO). There's definitely going to be a Marauder's music video inspired by this one in a later chapter.


	3. Moment's Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Severus looks at the online reception of Wagtail's post. Lily proposes a joint tour and a collaboration on a new song.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is setting up the rest of the story, thanks for reading!

Severus' phone buzzed for the umpteenth time that morning, and he finally woke up. Groggily, he reached across to his bedside table and wrapped a hand around his phone. He could've sworn he disabled his alarm last night. Blearily he tried to turn it off. _10:54am_ , his phone read.

He quickly realised that the buzzing wasn't from an alarm but from a myriad of texts from the rest of the Death Eaters. The latest was a link to an article that Tonks sent him with another short message, "If looks could kill...". He noticed that the link directed to the Buzzfeed website, and Severus scoffed when he read the wordy headline.

_'Severus Snape and Sirius Black pose together at James Potter's Mansion, and the look on Severus' face is all of us after a long day'_

His curiosity got the better of him and he clicked the link. The photo that accompanied the article depicted Sirius cradling Severus close to his chest with an over-exaggerated grin, while Severus sported an apathetic and disgusted look. If he were a more vain man, he would have winced; the photo didn't exactly capture him in a great light. 

As he scrolled through the article, he was surprised to find that most of the article was dedicated to him over Sirius. The article spoke of the Death Eater's new album, 'The Dark Mark', and included some professional photos from their last concert. One featured Severus and Tonks back-to-back during an intense instrumental, and another showed Regulus lying on his back at Severus' feet, belting into his mic as Severus soloed above him. These were more flattering photos, Severus thought, than the awkward mess that was Sirius holding him like a newlywed.

The most amusing part of the article was that Wagtail wasn't mentioned in the article at all, bar the link to the Instagram post. His selfish motives behind the publicity stunt backfired on him. Regardless, Severus clicked the link to the offending post in question, he was yet to see it.

There were a series of photographs on the one post, the first was the rushed shot Wagtail got of the three of them. There were three more photos; the first was of Sirius and Severus standing side by side, looking forcibly placated; the next was a blurry mess, Sirius was in the motion of picking Severus up; the final was the one featured in the article Tonks sent him.

The caption read, _'Excited to run into my two favourite guitarists, @SiriusOBlack and @SeverusSnapeOfficial. As you can see, they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Weird Sisters EP link in bio.'_

What the fuck did he think he was playing at by having a caption like that?

Severus scrolled down to read some of the comments. Sirius Black's comment was pinned underneath the post: _'Always a treat to see Severus and Myron. Highlight of my night.'_

_Liar_. 

Severus debated leaving a comment on the post himself, he supposed it would be good for publicity. He thumbed a quick response, joking about how it was his turn to pick up Black next. As much as it pained him to do so, he had to keep up good appearances for Lily and the rest of management.

Severus scrolled to look at some of the other comments. Wagtail had been right - a lot of people were calling for a collaboration between the Death Eaters and the Marauders. While Severus couldn't think of any slower torture, the comments were mostly unanimous. Severus looked at some of the replies that stood out:

@dementors_music: _'I don't know who I'm more jealous of'_

@deatheaters5237: _'Severus does NOT look like he's enjoying himself, Sirius on the other hand...'_

@messrsmwpp: _'You can just TELL Sirius is the top here, look at how he's looking at him. They're in LOVE and no one can tell me otherwise'_

Severus promptly closed Instagram after reading that last comment and ignored the way his stomach churned. What a load of rot. He just needed something to eat to help forget about the delirious notions of some insane fans.

The rest of the morning passed slowly, Severus brushed his teeth to get rid of the lingering taste of alcohol and stood under the hot stream of water in his shower for half an hour. He tried to ignore the incoming boredom of the next month; they had a press event tomorrow promoting their new album, but that was the most exciting thing on his schedule all week. They didn't have a tour planned even though the sales were tracking better than they expected, and none of them were going to beg Lily for the chance to tour. Not after all she'd done for them up to this point.

Severus nursed a cup of tea and a pathetic piece of toast at his kitchen table. The boredom kept bubbling just under his skin. He answered the confused and amused texts he received early morning and paused when he saw that Lily had sent him two separate YouTube links.

_'I know you liked this song last night for more than just auditory reasons, you can thank me later.'_

The first video linked him to an interview with all four members of The Marauders. Severus groaned and leaned back into his wooden-backed chair. Why on Earth would Lily send him this tripe? His eyes flickered down to the information underneath the video as it began to play. _'The Making Of "A Little Bit Of Trouble".'_

Their names flashed at the bottom of the screen and Remus' soft voice flowed out from the speakers on his phone. Severus didn't pay attention to what he was talking about at first. Instead, he surveyed the band, trying to find some more context. They were dressed smart, a rare occurrence. Sirius donned a pinstripe suit - and had they been on better terms, Severus would have asked Sirius where he bought it.

"We wrote this song around the time those rumours surfaced about Sirius. You remember, the ones about him leaving the band? We knew this was going to be one of our hits, and we were quite proud of the song, so we decided to make a music video," Remus explained.

"This was our way of saying 'if Sirius left us, he couldn't do anything except strip'," James laughed and Sirius shoved his shoulder.

"And I'd make a fucking good stripper too," Sirius retorted.

"Well, the instructors said you weren't the _worst_ they'd ever seen, but I wouldn't call you good-"

"Don't finish that sentence, Peter."

_Stripping_? The interview only stretched on for another minute, and Severus balked when he read that the video had accumulated seven million views. Severus returned to his conversation with Lily and hesitated before he clicked on the second link. 

He already knew what it would be and no one was forcing him to watch this, but when the familiar harmonies from last night started, Severus couldn't bring himself to look away. The Marauders were situated in the corner of a strip club, playing to lonely souls in hazy lights. They were dressed up in matching, white suits that looked too clean and out-of-place in the grimy club. The gentle guitar wafted over the harmonies and the drums picked up. A male stripper began a routine upstage from the band; the camera cut between him, the band, and the audience - which mainly consisted of older men and bachelorettes. 

Suddenly, Sirius pulled his guitar strap over his head, unplugged the guitar, and kicked over the amp. He wrapped his hands around the neck and hoisted the guitar over his head before he swung it down. The musician in Severus winced as the Strat splinted and broke apart in a slowed montage. The band didn't react to Sirius' tantrum, they didn't spare him a single glance. 

As the verse returned, Sirius strode to the stripper and shoved him off the platformed stage. The people in the audience weren't concerned for the man, they were engrossed in whatever Sirius was about to do. He ripped the white suit from his body and threw various pieces to screaming, celebrating bachelorettes. Then the chorus looped back, and Sirius started what Severus thought was an approximation of a routine. 

The moves were over the top and ridiculous, but Sirius still made them look enticing in his own infuriating way. Severus wanted to tear his throat out with his teeth or pull his hair so far back that his neck broke. He's the only person ever to bring out murderous tendencies in Severus. Watching the way his skin glistened in the lowlights was hypnotic, albeit fucking cliche and it made Severus want to hurt him that much more. It wasn't fair that a prick like Black held such a draw over him - and everyone else he met. 

The video continued and Severus reluctantly followed Sirius' dancing figure, now only clad with black briefs. The camera panned to different parts of his body, accentuating the hard muscles in his thighs, the contours of his groin, the smattering of hair around his dusky nipples. The production team knew _exactly_ what they were doing when they made this. Security dragged him off the stage and threw him out of the club as the song drew to a close. Severus' mouth felt dry. The song was decent, but Severus tried not to dwell too long on why Lily decided to send him the link to the music video. It had amassed seventy five million views, and Severus suppressed the urge to throw his phone over the balcony.

With a sigh, he thumbed a quick response to express his utmost gratitude to Lily for sending him these videos.

_'I hate you.'_

* * *

Severus received an urgent phone call from Lily almost a month later. They spoke casually every other day, but the excited note in her voice today told him this was different. After he followed her directions to a building he'd never been inside before, Severus spotted Tonks, Regulus, and Bellatrix through the glass, lounging in the foyer. Lily was nowhere to be seen. The automatic glass doors slid open and the three turned to look at him, the previous conversation was forgotten.

"Took you long enough," Bellatrix said.

"Doesn't look like I've missed much yet, you also got the call from Lily?" Severus asked. He made a beeline towards the green chair next to Regulus and sank into the plush cushions. They all made a noise of agreement. "And she didn't say what this was about?"

"We thought you might be able to give us some insight," Tonks answered. Severus hummed and reclined further into the seat; nothing came to mind. 

The sound of the glass doors sliding open again distracted the band. Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew looked around the lobby before they spotted the Death Eaters. An uneasy, dark queasiness settled deep in Severus' stomach. There was an inkling forming in the back of his mind.

Remus waved to the group and dragged Peter over, arm clad in corduroy thrown around Pettigrew's shoulder. "Lily called you four in as well?" 

"How did you know?" Tonks laughed. She rose from her chair to properly greet Remus, casting Pettigrew aside as she hugged the Marauder's drummer. "Will the rest of your ragtag singalong be joining us?"

Peter butted back in between her and Remus, eyes glinting with something greedy Severus couldn't fully identify. "Sirius is a few minutes away and James is with Lily already."

Regulus grunted next to him. "Why?"

Severus didn't listen to Remus' explanation, instead, he regarded Pettigrew once more. He wasn't an original member of the band, they replaced him as the bassist a year ago from what Severus knew. There was something shifty about the way he stepped between Remus and Tonks and glared her down. Tonks looked a bit put out after that and Pettigrew looked oddly smug. 

Briefly, Severus met Remus' gaze, and in that instance, he knew he sensed something off-kilter too. Nevertheless, he was too apathetic to chase it up with Remus. If the Marauders had a possessive band member, that was hardly his problem. However, that wouldn't stop him from berating Pettigrew if he intentionally hurts Tonks over something as trivial as jealousy.

Minutes passed and Sirius Black sauntered into the building, sunglasses perched atop his wavy, black hair. Severus scoffed, why bother wearing them at all? Sirius' head whipped away from Remus and Peter to face Severus directly.

"Something funny, Snape?" Sirius asked, voice cold and eyes narrow. Severus' lip curled into a sneer.

"No, nothing, Black," he answered with a praising, ironic lilt in his voice, "I'm so grateful to be in your presence again. Aren't going to try to pick me up again, are we?"

"Physically? No," Sirius said with a note of finality that warned Severus against arguing back, or asking him what he meant by that. Sirius sunk into the chair opposite Severus, legs thrown over one arm. Severus clenched his jaw at the sight, it was infuriating that Sirius could get away with that kind of slack behaviour in public.

"You're all here? Good, follow me," Lily's gentle voice rang out from behind Severus. The seven followed her through black double doors and along a wide corridor lined with picture frames of a multitude of musicians. She led them into a conference room, James Potter and an unknown woman were already sitting inside around a circular oak table. Everyone took a seat around the table, Sirius bumped Severus' shoulder as he passed.

The woman wore an AEG name tag that read "Effie", and something in the back of Severus' mind clicked in recognition. She introduced herself and started her spiel.

"You've likely seen the massive online demand to see a collaboration between the Marauders and the Death Eaters," Effie said, and Severus' stomach knotted as he predicted what she would say next, "and ultimately, at AEG, we like to go above and beyond for our audiences."

"But you're a touring company," Bellatrix said.

Effie fixed her with a thin-lipped smile, "Exactly. Miss Evans and I have been in contact for the past month about a dual European tour for both bands."

"So, we'd be-" Bellatrix started.

"-Touring together? Yes," Effie finished with another corporate smile.

Severus had never been the type to make a fuss in front of strangers. He was mortified by the prospect of people scorning him with their judging eyes if he ever had some kind of outburst. But this, this was the closest he had ever come to tearing out his own hair and verbally berating everyone in the vicinity. He swallowed his complaints and regarded the reactions from the other band; Sirius and James wore matching looks of disgust, Remus looked somewhat pleased, and Peter looked as though someone was holding rotting meat under his nose.

Bellatrix didn't contain Severus' level of self-control, and said exactly what was on Severus' mind, "Are you fucking serious?"

"Language, Bella," Regulus hissed under his breath. He and Severus were likely in agreeance; swearing in front of an AEG represented was a surefire way to ensure that the Death Eaters would never tour again.

"Yes," Lily answered, "we _are_ serious. Six months from now. It's a European tour, we've decided on nineteen cities with two shows at each stop. This part isn't set in stone yet, but we were thinking that the Marauders perform the first night, and the Death Eaters play the second night, or vice-versa. At the end of the second night, whoever performed the first night can join the second band on stage and perform together."

Peter looked as though he was struggling to keep up with the convoluted explanation, but Severus had a foreboding sense of dread. He felt he knew what Lily and Effie had in mind for the end of the second performance.

Remus quirked an eyebrow and leaned forward on the table. "Why would we have to perform together?"

Lily surveyed the occupants of the room, looking for tics or signs that someone was about to explode with outrage, before answering. "Publicity wise, a collaborated single is the smartest thing we can do."

No one said anything, but the air seemed to tingle with barely restrained rage. Severus' composure was hanging on by a thread. A _single_ , produced with the help of those four? Inane, out of the question. And to, what, perform it alongside them night after night while pretending that the sight of them didn't want to make Severus shatter glass with his bare hands?

"Splendid," Remus was the first to speak. "When do we get started?"

Lily tapped her fingers on the table in rhythmic succession and hummed. "We want the song and accompanying video released just before the tour commences - we want the hype for it to be at a peak-"

" _And_ video?" Sirius asked, breaking his silence. 

"-So let's aim to finish everything in four months," Lily finished, ignoring Sirius' outburst. Severus similarly ignored the small crease that appeared between his brow when he scowled like that. He also ignored the voice in his head saying to not watch him so closely.

The rest of the meeting passed quickly, Effie hashed out details on AEG's end. She left soon after to let Lily speak to the two bands. Once the door swung shut behind her, the tension that had been mounting over the past twenty minutes exploded.

The cacophony of shouting rang in Severus' ears, he could only pick out bits of phrases:

"Why would you do this-"

"What the fuck-"

"We can't work with _them_."

"-and I thought you would be on _our_ side."

Lily's voice rang out over the din, strong and sharp, " _Enough_."

The noise halted, and after a momentary pause, Sirius continued, filling the silence. "A _tour_? With them? Whose idea was that?"

"The internet's, for the most part," Lily answered. "And the people at AEG have been trying to get ahold of both of you for months now. You both have new albums to promote, and a joint tour will bring in a new audience for both bands. There aren't any downsides."

"Except that we have to be subjected to their company both on stage and in the studio," Severus pointed out, arms crossed over his thin chest. He clenched his jaw as he felt eight pairs of eyes on him with varying degrees of annoyance and agreement.

"Like you're God's gift to music, Snivellus," Sirius spat the name with malice and eyed Severus with a similar level of spite. 

"Don't start that in here, boys," Lily interrupted. Severus bit back his response to Black and leaned back in his chair. "Other people in the industry work with people they don't like - it's called professionalism. I've seen both of you pretend to get along with Myron Wagtail with ease, this shouldn't be any different."

At that, Sirius chuckled and relaxed. He urged Lily to continue with the information about the tour and single. They scheduled a second meeting in four days' time to organise times to meet in the studio and delegate roles. The meeting drew to a close without any more commotion, but Severus craved a drink, or six. He made a mental note to invite Regulus around that night to complain about the new arrangement over shared liquor.

"Then it's settled," Lily concluded and rose from her chair, everyone copied her action. "At least Remus and Tonks look excited. As for the rest of you, I don't want any petty theatrics when we start in the studio. You're free to fight with each other in your spare time, although I'd prefer if you didn't do it at all."

Scratch that, Severus needed something stronger than his usual scotch to remove the image of Lily's stern, disappointed gaze from his mind. He would comply with her wishes, not for the Marauder's sakes, but for hers. If that meant tolerating their antics and insults over the next year, then so be it. 

He left the building in a flurry of emotions; rage, disbelief, and intrigue. That last feeling had absolutely nothing to do with the sight of Sirius Black mounting a black motorcycle outside and disappearing around a street corner. Severus tried not to think about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the delay for this chapter! I've just finished school for the year so hopefully updates will pick up again. My main fic at the moment is Fuel the Pyre of Your Enemies, this one is more on the backburner, so to speak. That being said, I'll try to have this all finished by the end of the year. Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi again! If you liked reading this, please leave kudos and a comment below <3


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